Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14
नन्दिसंज्ञो गणाधीशो भविष्यति भवान्ध्रुवम् । मत्समीपे तु भवत आदौ पूजा भविष्यति
nandisaṃjño gaṇādhīśo bhaviṣyati bhavāndhruvam | matsamīpe tu bhavata ādau pūjā bhaviṣyati
“Engkau pasti akan menjadi ketua Gaṇa bernama Nandi. Dan di hadapan-Ku, pemujaan terhadapmu akan dilakukan terlebih dahulu.”
Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)
Tirtha: Śūlabheda
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nareśvara (king/devotee in the episode)
Scene: Īśvara grants a boon: the devotee/king is destined to become Nandi, gaṇādhipa; the idea of ‘first worship’ is shown by devotees offering before Nandi at the shrine entrance.
FAQs
Service and devotion are honored with sacred responsibility, and dharmic worship follows an ordained order.
The setting remains Śūlabheda-tīrtha, where Śiva grants boons and establishes worship norms.
Worship of Nandi (as Gaṇādhiśa) is to be performed first in Śiva’s proximity—reflecting the traditional sequence in Śaiva worship.